Pedigree Analysis of 2011 National Show Winners Now Available from Holstein Association USA

Pedigree Analysis of 2011 National Show Winners Now Available from Holstein Association USA

Holstein Association USA has updated the Pedigree Analysis of National Holstein Show winners to reflect the 2011 show season. This section, which debuted last year, is provided for showing enthusiasts and contains various lists that provide a closer look at the genetics behind some of the most elite cattle in the Holstein breed. To view the list, visit www.holsteinusa.com and scroll to the Popular Lists section towards the bottom of the homepage.

Holstein females used in the compilation of the data were those that placed in the top three in their respective age class at the 11 National Holstein Shows held in 2011. This year, that included 217 heifers and 279 cows.

The lists will be updated annually, following the last National Show of the year. Three main areas will be featured: Leading Sires of 2011 National Holstein Show Winners, Leading Maternal Grandsires of 2011 National Holstein Show Winners and Most Common Sire Stacks of 2011 National Holstein Show Winners. Each area features separate lists for heifers and cows, along with an overall ranked list of bulls for the category. In addition, viewers will find other information that may be of interest, such as average classification scores for each class.

2011 Results

For the second year running, Braedale Goldwyn receives the honor of being the 2011 Overall Leading Sire of National Holstein Show Winners, siring 31 heifers in the top three in their classes and 50 cows, making him the top sire in both of those categories.

Also repeating in the 2011 Overall Leading Maternal Grandsire of National Holstein Show Winners is Regancrest Elton Durham-ET. Durham was found on the bottom side of the pedigree of 20 heifers and 26 cows, making him the number one maternal grandsire of cows. In the heifer category, he was bypassed by his son, Regancrest Dundee-ET, who was the maternal grandsire of 33 heifers, and ranks second in the overall list.

Not surprising, the most common sire stack of show winning animals in 2011 was a combination of the number one sires in the two previous categories, Braedale Goldwyn x Regancrest Elton Durham-ET, with 16 animals resulting from that mating.